Postage-stamping machine.



R. J. JOBIN & J. A. PHAT.

POSTAGE STAMPING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 13, 1012.

Patented Apr. 1, 1913.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

, INIVENTORS ATTOW UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT J'.. J OBIN AND JOSEPH PEACE, OF NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA.

POSTAGEiSTAll/IPING MACHINE.

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that we, RoBnRrJ. J OB-IN and JOSEPH A; PRAT, citizens of the United States, residing-at; New Orleans, n the parish of Orleans-and State of Louisiana,

have invented certain-new and useful Inn-- provements in Postage-Stamping Machines;

and we do hereby declare the fol-lowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, 'such' as illenable others 1 skilled in'the art to which it appertain's to-l make and use the same.

Our invention-relates'to improvements in postage stamping machines, and it consists in the constructions, combinations and ar-v rangements hereindescribed andclaimed.

' An object of our inventionds ito provide an improved machine adapted to'stampthe required postage amount on- 'mail matter and to-automatlcally'register thej amount so stamped.

A further object of our inventionis to provide ,a simple and inexpensive machine;

adapted-tostamp on various different mail matter the required; amount andv character of postage and also a designation of the.

mailing point e 'In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this application, and in which similar reference symbols indicate oorresponding parts in the several views;-Figure 1 1s a plan view, illustratingone e1nbodiment of our, invention Fig. 2 is a perspective view ofthe construction shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 2 is a fragmentary elevation. of the connection between 'thestamplng die and reglstering device; Fig. 4 1s a bottom.

view of the crown wheel andvinterme'shing p1n1ons-shown 1n Flg. 5; Fig. 5is avertical axial section of our improved construction; Fig. 6 is a side view of thedetachable stamping die; and Fig. 7 shows the faces of several of the di fierent stamping dies employed. 5

Referring to the drawings, 6 indicat'es'a cylindrical casing formed integral with, or

secured to, a base 5 and provided with an aperture 6 for the insertion of mail matter; a platen a being supported by .a spring 0 on the base b within said aperture. An inking pad a is pivotally supported. on the base the base 6 said spindle being shown se b abeve the platen a, 1nd yieldingl y maintained against a stop 1 by-a spring 05. A hollow capo is rotatably mounted within said casing b by a spindlet journaled in Specification of Letters Patent.

2 to prevent surreptitious access to or tam- Patented An -.1, 1913.] Application filedNovember 13,1912. .Seria1'No. 731,219.

pering with the interior of the machine. A.

series of die plungers f are slidably mount- *.ed in the rotatable cap a, and'normally main- 'tainedin elevated position by spiral springs 7c; said several plungers beingprovided with screws for' engaging the perforated :ears Ron dies Z for detachably securing 'the latter in position, The several dies Z are formed to stamp onvarious different mail I E-matter the required amount and character of postage, together wit-ha designation of thermailingcity or point ythus, Fig. 7 shows several-dies for stamping, respectively,'twocents postage,

Special Delivery, and

Registered. The plungers f are pro-.

vided with splines f and extend slidably through a guide disk 9 secured to the rotatable spindle c; said disk being suitably apertured to prevent interference with the inking pad a during downward swing of thelatter. A series of levers d are pivoted on the rotatable spindle c and provided with slots engaging pins d on said die plungers f for actuating the latter; said levers being connected by links g with rods 2' slidably supported in the cap a and-normally maintained in elevated position by springs h co operating with the plunger springs The rods 2' carry sprlng-pressed pawls 7' 1n engagement with ratchet wheels p, which latter are'secured to spindles journaled in brackets on the cap a and carry at their Sinner ends pinions rof different selected diameters in mesh witha crown wheel 8 journaled on said cap. ,A registering device m is m'ounted'within the cap a in position for convenient reading from the exterior thereof, and is provided with a drive pinion 25 in mesh with said crown wheel 5.

As shown in the drawings, the actuating levers d are normally locked in inoperative position by engagement avi'th the top of the stationary casing b, and said casing is provided with a vertical slot 03 for permitting downward swing of the actuatinglever of any desired die when the rotatable cap a has been shifted to bring said desired die in operative-position above the inking pad 72, andplaten 21/; the upper end of said slot w bein preferably rounded to facilitate 210-/ b curate positioning of the dies.

From the above description, it will be clear that each lever d, upon being depressed to actuate its die, will draw down the rod 2' the dies operatively connected thereto; thus I pinion of a diameter one-half that ofithe and rotate the corresponding pinion 1' to shift the crown wheel s through a distance proportionate'to the diameter of said pinion;

thereby actuating the registering device on through the pinion t The several pinions r are formed of diiferent diameters propqrtionate to the postage amounts indicated by the die for stamping two-cents, postage will have a pinion r of proper diameter to shift the registering device m through two units, a die for stamping "one cent willhave a two-cent die, a die for stamping Special Delivery will-have a pinion of a diameter five times that of the two-cent die, etc.

Our invention obviates the present necessity of rehandling mail which has passed through a canceling machine without proper cancellation of the post-age stamps, since the impression made by *our invention can be used only forv the letter on which it is stamped, and the -canceling machine will stamp the mailing time or date on such letter. I The use of our invention by government departments 'employing penalty envelope.

will automatically register the amount of postage used, and in sub-stations and postoiiices of the third class and fourth class, it

will eliminate many of-the' present inconveniences and delays','and furnish an acvcurate account of the stamps canceled;

We have illustrated and described preferried and satisfactory constructions, but changes could be made within the spirit and scope of our invention.

v 1. In ampostage stamping machine, .the

combination *of'a casing provided withan aperture forthe insertlonof nall matter, a

H revolubl'e cap'closure for saidcasing, a series of'stamping dies and die-actuating means I said casing, a series of stamping dies carried by said cap within said casing, actuating means for said dies normally locked inin operative position by said casing and adaptcd'to be shifted into registry wlth such slot for permitting actuation of any desired die, a registering device, and independent con-- nections'betwee'n said several die-actuating means and said registering device for operating the latter.

3. In a postage stamping machine, the

combination of a rotatably-mounted cap, a series of stamping dies and die actuating means carried by said cap, a gear wheel journaled concentrically within said cap,- a registering'device' provided with a drive pinion .in mesh with said gear wheel, a series of operating'pinions meshing with said gear wheel, spindles carryin said severalfoperating pin'lons, ratchet w eels carried byvsaid spmdles, rods slidably mounted in saidcap,

pawls carried by said rods'in engagement with said ratchet wheels, and independent link connections: between said several dieactuating means and sliding rods.

In testimony whereof, We affix our'signatures, in presence of two witnesses.

ROBERT J. JOBIN. JQSEPHA. PRAT.

Witnesse'sz- M S.- MAHONEY, VVALLACE A. N NEZ. 

